A Little Princess
by A Crazy Elephant
Summary: Miranda Snow is not like other children. Not even Capitol children.
1. Party

**Title:** A Little Princess

**Author:** A Crazy Elephant

**Summary:** Miranda Snow is not like other children. Not even Capitol children.

**Category:** Drama

**Chapter Word Count: **570

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games universe and related characters do not belong to me.

**Author's Notes:** A quick break from _Awake and Sing!_ – this got stuck in my head after seeing _Catching Fire_ this weekend. As always, I'd very much like to hear what everyone thinks and enjoy.

_Chapter Fun Facts:_ The title was robbed from the Frances Hodgson Burnett of the same name. The name 'Miranda' is taken from Shakespeare's _The Tempest_ – In the play, Miranda is the sheltered daughter of the sorcerer Prospero, who until the events of the play had never seen another living person beyond her father and his servants.

_**1 - Party **_

The first time Miranda realizes that she is not like other children, she is five years old.

Grandpa is having a garden party for all sorts of fancy people. Usually, Grandpa's parties happen after Miri's bedtime. Grandpa assures her they aren't the sorts of parties that other children attend and her nanny takes her to bed long before guests arrive.

But this party is an afternoon party and Miri is allowed to go.

She gets to wear a fancy dress – the kind with white lace and shiny pink ribbons and shiny white shoes. She gets to have fancy teacakes and ice cream and all sorts of treats and sit at a fancy little table that is just her size. More than that, Miri isn't the only child at this party.

For the first time in her life, Miranda Snow has _playmates_.

They are nothing like she had ever imagined. Admittedly, she's never actually seen with any real children besides her own self, only ones on television and in picture books, but Miri had imagined other children to be something, well, like _her_. Children who would play games with her, proper make-believe games instead of just things like chess. Children who would run and laugh and listen to her stories and tell her some too. If nothing else, maybe a little like they are in the storybooks – clever and fun.

They are not.

They're all a little bit older and a little bit bigger. Their clothes are strange – loud colors and shiny fabrics that are at once fascinating and ridiculous. They are all funny and mostly clever, but they are certainly not fun. No one is out-and-out mean, at least, not to her, but they won't play.

No laughing. No stories. Certainly no make-believe.

They play badminton and croquet and all the other boring lawn games Grandpa keeps for just these sorts of parties. It's quite obvious that Miri doesn't have to motor skills for badminton and she doesn't understand the rules to croquet, but all the other children do. But they still let her win.

Every. Single. Time.

It's hateful and when she asks them why, the answer is wholly unsatisfactory. It makes her want to scream, but Miri uses her manners like her tutors are always asking her to and plays along, even if she's shockingly disappointed with the whole experience of peers and playmates.

"Did you have fun, my dear?" Grandpa asks her later, after the party's over and he's leading her back into their house. He's holding her hand and looking generally important, like usual and Miri feels small and silly and completely ungrateful.

"Yes Grandpa." Miri tells him as the door to their home close behind them. It's not particularly true, but Grandpa doesn't like it when she's unhappy. "Grandpa?"

"Yes?"

"Those children. They were strange."

"How so?" Grandpa asks and she can't place the tone in his voice.

"They wouldn't play with me. Not like they were playing with each other. They kept letting me win, like my nanny does." Miri observes. "I asked them why. One of the little boys said it was because I'm me and you're you – that they have to. What does that mean, Grandpa?" Grandpa just smiles down at her, the fond sort of smile she usually gets, but there's something a little bit like triumph in there too and he squeezes her hand.

"It means we're special, my dear."


	2. Games

**Title:** A Little Princess

**Author:** A Crazy Elephant

**Summary:** Miranda Snow is not like other children. Not even Capitol children.

**Category:** Drama/Family

**Chapter Word Count: **607

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games universe and related characters do not belong to me.

**Author's Notes:** Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

_Chapter Fun Facts_: The names of her school friends, Electra and Orestes come from Aeschylus's trilogy _The Oresteia_ where they are the surviving children of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra and Electra encourages Orestes to kill their mother to avenge the death of their father, while Hermia is one of the Lovers in _A Midsummer Night's Dream_.

_**2 - Games **_

The first time Miranda sees the Hunger Games all the way through, she is seven years old.

It's the 70th Hunger Games and Miri is so proud that she is finally old enough to see them. All her school friends have been watching the Games straight through for ages, but until now, Grandpa only would let her see up through the Interviews, with only highlights from the Arena. He's never given a proper reason, only that she isn't old enough, but she is now.

Before she'd started school, watching all the way through hadn't mattered – no one was counting on her to know the details. Grandpa was the one who'd made the rule and her nanny couldn't speak anyway, so it hadn't been an issue. But now she goes to school, now she's got friends. They all expect her to be caught up in Games season and in the past have teased her something awful for not being allowed to watch them.

But this year, she can. This year, Miri is finally grown-up enough to watch the whole broadcast.

Miri doesn't enjoy it nearly as much as she'd thought.

She still has the best time watching the Opening Ceremonies Parade. She still gets to dress up and stand behind Grandpa while he welcomes the Tributes and the whole of the Capitol is celebrating in the streets with them. She still loves to see the fancy costumes and feel the energy from the crowd as the chariots roll in.

She still has a great time watching the Interviews. She still likes to see everyone dressed up and smiling. She still loves to hear Ceaser's jokes and to see what color his hair will be this year.

She doesn't particularly enjoy the Arena. Not like she'd thought and not like her school friends do.

All the pretty children from the Interviews turn mean and scary when the gong goes off and there's a lot more blood than she remembers from the highlights. Sure, there are some good story lines – the Career Pack this year includes the boy from 7 and the girl from 4 went mad right off the top – but it's still not nearly as much fun as it should be.

Miri doesn't tell her school friends.

They're all having the best time – Electra and Orestes and Hermia and all of them. They collect all the Tribute trading cards and wear their hair like their favorites did at the Interviews. They play Arena games at recess and talk about their favorites every single day. Miri doesn't want to ruin it and she certainly doesn't want to be teased for not having just as much fun, so she does all those things too.

Miri doesn't tell Grandpa either.

He quite likes the Games and she doesn't want to sound ungrateful that he's let her watch them all the through. Instead, she just sits on the davenport during the broadcast and eats her popcorn while they watch and pretends she's having the best time, like she does at school.

Miri's a little bit grateful when the earthquake hits the Arena on Day 4 and the dam breaks on Day 5. She's pleased the Games are shorter than usual and she's kind of thrilled that the mad girl from 4 wins it all because at least it wasn't one of the mean and scary kids from the Career pack.

Grandpa's not though. He's not the least bit happy.

"I'm sorry, my dear." He tells her as Annie Cresta is named the winner over the roaring floods. He sounds cross, even though he's trying not to. "It will be better next year."


	3. Fashionable

**Title:** A Little Princess

**Author:** A Crazy Elephant

**Summary:** Miranda Snow is not like other children. Not even Capitol children.

**Category:** Drama/Family

**Chapter Word Count: **747

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games universe and related characters do not belong to me.

**Author's Notes:** I apologize in advance – the last half of this chapter is robbed straight from the film, but perfectly paraphrased, because I couldn't find the actual script anywhere. Otherwise – a big thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! I love hearing what you have to say.

_**3 - Fashionable **_

The first time Miranda realizes something is wrong, she is eleven years old.

It's Victory Tour season and Miri is rather enjoying herself. When she was small, she didn't particularly like the Games or Victory Tour season. Mostly, she was just afraid of them and she had to suck it up and pretend she liked them as much as everyone else. Now she's not afraid and she can let herself just have fun like all of her school friends.

It helps that this year, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are quite possibly the very best Victors she could ever have imagined and it's all anyone's talking about. They're brave and noble and clever and so very much in love, it's just wonderful. They're charming and fun and have the best clothes and the nicest smiles.

It's so easy to like them.

Everyone at school has Katniss and Peeta posters in their lockers. They have the trading cards and the stickers on their notebooks. Everyone wants to take archery lessons like Katniss and learn to paint like Peeta. They want clothing and jewelry and hair ribbons that burn like Katniss's dresses, even if the uniform at school is dreadful and boring and wouldn't allow for something fashionable like that. Everyone at school just wants to _be_ them.

Even Miri does.

She'd like to have the posters and stickers and trading cards. She'd like the hair ribbons and jewelry. She'd like to learn how to shoot like Katniss, especially since she's notoriously bad at art. But she doesn't say so.

Grandpa wants her to be happy, but he doesn't believe in the trendy things people at school do. He likes nice things, new things in fancy materials that are rare and valuable, but not _fashionable_ things. He doesn't allow her to wear the latest clothing or to dye her hair or do any of the latest things her friends do. The last time she'd asked for something fashionable, she'd even gotten a scolding.

_You do not need those silly things. You are better than that, Miranda Snow. You are better than _them.

So Miri doesn't ask for any of it and instead she has to be content with what she _does_ have.

For once she's pleased with her hair, because it's very nearly the same shade as Katniss's and she doesn't even have to dye it, like the other girls at school. Miri's able to convince her nanny to teach her how to braid it around her head and down the side, just like Katniss. It takes her some practice to get it right, but when she does, she's doesn't think she's ever been so proud of herself and her school friends agree that the style is a resounding success. Electra even asks Miri to braid _her_ hair.

At dinner that night, Grandpa notices it too.

"When did you start wearing your hair like that, my dear?" He asks her and the tone in his voice worries her a little, like she's about to get another scolding.

"This is how everyone at school is wearing it, Grandpa." She tells him. She tries to sound casual, as though pretending it's all nothing will keep her out of trouble. Miri hasn't actually broken a rule – she hasn't asked for silly clothes or jewelry or posters or anything. She hasn't drastically altered her appearance in any significant way – her hair hasn't been dyed or cut or anything. But she still doesn't want another lecture.

"Are they now?" He's cross, but he's trying to hide it. He's being polite in the way that says he's angry, like he does when the hateful people from Society and the Government come for formal dinners. Miri doesn't understand – particularly because he doesn't seem cross with _her_, exactly. It's almost like he's angry with Katniss, or at least, the idea of Katniss, which seems strange and silly, since he usually likes Victors – except rude ones like Haymitch Abernathy who are just disappointing.

"Of course, Grandpa." She says. She's still trying to sound nonchalant and keep her face pleasant. Grandpa smiles at her, something fond, like he usually does.

But behind the smile and the fondness, something awful slips into his face. Something angry and vengeful and downright frightening, that Miri has never seen before. Something that sends a shiver through her at the pure rage behind it all. Something that is just plain _wrong, _even if Grandpa just nods politely and smiles again.

"Very well, my dear."


	4. Broadcast

**Title:** A Little Princess

**Author:** A Crazy Elephant

**Summary:** Miranda Snow is not like other children. Not even Capitol children.

**Category:** Drama/Family

**Chapter Word Count: **869

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games universe and related characters do not belong to me.

**Author's Notes:** As always, thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! I'm always grateful to hear what you've got to say.

_**4 - Broadcast **_

The first time Miranda is truly afraid, she is twelve years old.

It has all gone downhill since the last Victory Tour. The horrible rage that had crept into Grandpa's face last winter has stayed there, lurking behind his usual smiles. He tries not to let her see it, she can tell. He tries to keep his smiles fond and pleasant, but it doesn't work.

It worries Miri.

But she plays his game and doesn't say anything. Grandpa pretends he isn't angry and Miri pretends not to notice he's pretending. She just goes about her business, going to school and to her dance classes. She smiles at meals and tells Grandpa about silly things like how Orestes has the biggest crush on Hermia and how her dance teacher says Miri is ready to begin pointe lessons. He tells her about silly things too, like how dull his cabinet members are and how his roses are doing out in the conservatory.

It's all a big lie and Miri's whole world feels like a house of cards.

It all comes crashing down during the Games.

The Games are _not_ fun this year and for once, the whole of the Capitol agrees with her. The Capitol loves their Victors, even rude ones like Haymitch Abernathy and no one wants to see them go back for an all-star round. People are completely outraged when all-time favorites like Finnck and Johanna and Cashmere and Gloss, not to mention Katniss and Peeta get picked in the reaping. Her school friends still get the trading cards and the posters, but there's an air of something like disappointment hanging over all of them.

The Opening Ceremonies parade costumes are dazzling, but mostly weren't designed for adults and just look silly. The training scores are predictably high with only the few substance-abusing Victors like the District 6 pair or the mad ones like District 3 coming in low.

The Interviews are just plain _sad_ – even Caesar's looking down and of all people, _Caesar Flickerman_ never looks down. The Victor's clothes are still pretty and they all still smile and play to the cameras, but it's not the same. They're all unhappy and the whole of the Capitol is unhappy with them. No one even seems to mind when Johanna Mason's answers are laced with profanities or that Finnick Odair doesn't actually answer questions at all and just reads a love poem. People just fall apart at Katniss and Peeta's news.

But the Games go on and apart from the Tribute pool and general lack of enthusiasm in the Capitol, it's a pretty standard year. A highly conceptual Arena. A vicious Career pack. Good guys and bad guys.

Until Katniss Everdeen blasts open the Arena and Miri's life all at once.

Miri's at home when it happens and Grandpa isn't. It's late and she really ought to be asleep in bed, but she's gotten up for a glass of water from the kitchens. The night staff is watching the broadcasts on a little portable television set up on the counter while they clean up, but they've stopped to watch as things onscreen heat up.

Miri stops too.

There's the elaborate wire setup that Beetee had rigged through most of the afternoon. There's a fight between Johanna and the remaining Career pack. There's Katniss shouting for Peeta. There's a moment where it looks like the whole plan is going to fail miserably.

And then something must click in Katniss Everdeen's head because she doesn't try to reattach the wire that runs to the beach. Instead, she fixes the tree-end of the wire to an arrow and shoots into the sky, into the dome of the Arena and there is an all mighty explosion when the lighting strikes. Cameras begin cutting and the last thing Miri sees onscreen is a massive chunk of what was once the Arena crash down into the jungle before the signal cuts out completely.

Miri and the night staff are shocked into silence as they all stare as the static on little television is replaced with an automated 'all-systems offline' message and the aching worry that's been lurking in her gut for months turns into an all consuming dread. It's something deep, that dread. Something cold and awful that makes her whole body shake and suddenly all the silly things in Miri's world seem just, well, _silly_. Somewhere in there, she knows that the house of cards has fallen and nothing will ever be the same.

Miri doesn't go back to sleep that night and even though Grandpa's back at breakfast the next morning and back to pretending like everything's fine, she knows she's right.

It's not the same.

"Did you sleep well, my dear?" He asks her. He's trying to sound normal and polite, but the anger and rage that's been simmering in his face for months is very near to bubbling over.

"Yes Grandpa." Miri lies, pushing her eggs around the plate.

"Good." Grandpa says and he's clearly not interested in her answer. "It's a busy day." He continues and she can tell he's only making conversation to keep up the charade of normalcy. "Problems have arisen which require solutions, my dear."


End file.
